Mariental: Mariental Municipality councillor of the Landless People's Movement, William Minnie has described the 2026/27 National Budget as fiscally cautious but insufficiently responsive to the economic hardships facing ordinary Namibians, arguing that it prioritises consolidation over structural transformation.

According to Namibia Press Agency, following the tabling of the budget, Minnie remarked that while the government's efforts to stabilise the fiscus and manage public debt are acknowledged, the budget falls short in addressing inequality, unemployment, and economic exclusion at the constituency level. He emphasized that the budget attempts to stabilize public finances but fails to confront the structural crises impacting ordinary citizens.

Minnie pointed out that economic growth projections remain modest and are primarily concentrated in capital-intensive sectors such as mining, which offer limited labor absorption and minimal impact on household incomes. He expressed concern that the structure of expenditure reinforces this issue, with operational spending continuing to overshadow capital investment.

He further stated that the rising living costs, unemployment, and infrastructure backlogs in constituencies indicate that the budget does not fully reflect the harsh economic realities experienced by ordinary citizens. While allocations have been made for infrastructure, youth development, and sectoral programs, Minnie argued that they are insufficient in scale and slow to implement.

The development budget of approximately N.dollars 6.5 billion, according to Minnie, is low relative to total expenditure and inadequate to drive meaningful infrastructure expansion, industrialization, or job creation. He noted that operational expenditure exceeding N.dollars 81 billion reflects a fiscal structure that prioritizes consumption over production, undermining the developmental role of the state.

Minnie cautioned against increasing reliance on State-owned enterprises and public-private partnerships for infrastructure financing, warning that this could shift fiscal risk, create contingent liabilities, and weaken transparency and public accountability. He also raised concerns over the lack of a strong fiscal push toward manufacturing, agro-processing, and value addition, suggesting that without deliberate industrial policy supported by substantial development spending, youth unemployment will persist.

He criticized the N.dollars 100 increase in the old-age pension grant as inadequate in the face of rising food, housing, and utility costs, advocating for social protection to be treated as a core pillar of economic justice and redistribution.